Review of Fear to Tread by James Swallow

After consuming fifteen Horus Heresy books over several months, I took a break. I've been following wargamer.net's recommended reading list, and as Vengeful Spirit closed what they consider Act I, an intermission seemed natural. Scenes and battles had started blending together, meaning it felt right to pause lest I burn out. I'm back now, refreshed, ready to raise the curtain on Act II with Fear to Tread by James Swallow (2012).

Fear to Tread opens on an explosive, pre-Heresy moment. Horus and the Lunar Wolves storm the battlefield against a juggernaut of a foe that would seek to subjugate humanity (ironically in not so different a way than the Emperor). The battle more difficult than anticipated, the Blood Angels, led by their primarch Sanguinius, swoop onto the battlefield, swaying things distinctly in the Legion's favor. In the aftermath of the battle it's revealed some of the Blood Angels are suffering from a peculiar blood sickness, a sickness that causes a frenzied madness to overtake those afflicted and become aggressive and malevolent toward anyone, friend or foe. Seeming to want to help Sanguinius with his problem, Horus sends the Blood Angels to a distant planet to fight, promising them the solution to their blood problem lies in wait there. Trouble is, Horus has more planned for the Blood Angels than just a healing mission.

If it wasn't clear, Fear to Tread is a Blood Angels novel—the first of the Horus Heresy series thus far to focus on the legion. Thus, despite being the 21st book in the series, it is still introducing players to the HH stage, in this case Sanguinius and his blood-fueled Astartes. Riding with the quasi-vampire angle (natch), Swallow plays off the Legion's knowledge and experience with gene-enhanced blood to form both their strong right hand and Achilles heel. The passion for their fight, it's also a taint infecting Blood Angels one at a time—a secret Sanguinius has more and more trouble keeping.

There are a few challenges with the novel. Where some HH books distinguish themselves from the pack of 60+ other books, Fear to Tread struggles to do so. The vampire/tainted blood angle helps, as does the manner in which Horus betrays the Blood Angel Legion. But its primarch, Sanguinius, is more fuzzy than sharp. The story arc is as tried and true as any early HH novel's arc is. And the ultimate outcome of the novel is closer to expected than known-yet-interesting. Overall the story is more safe than edgy, which makes for an uphill battle when it tries to makes its mark on the series. (It goes without saying fans of the Blood Angels legion will likely feel differently.)

In the end, Fear to Tread is an important novel in the overarching 30k history in how it describes the fallout between Horus and the Blood Angels. It's also unique, at least to this point in the series, for the role Chaos plays (no spoilers)—the true reason to read the book. The climax is by far and above the best part. But beyond this, Fear to Tread is often mundane. I'm not certain enough is done to make the Blood Angels, and by default Sanguinius, truly singular, singular in the fashion several of the other Legions/Primarch are. On top of this there are a few generic space marine battles. And the prose, while occasionally sharp, is largely just competent. A touch more gravitas would have helped. My gut tells me that the true import of this novel will be revealed in future HH books. For now it's average, readable material that delivers the common denominator of what HH fans expect/want but is in the sea rather than with a nose above it.